I carefully crept forward, placing my left front tire gently onto the narrow ridge in the road with a washout on either side. My right Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac hugged the slanted embankment on the other side. I gingerly moved forward, winding through the aspens with caution as I moved up the mountain.
A year ago I took you along on a ride up Snake Creek Canyon high above Midway. But for a little more adventure, you can take a little side trip up to Big Flat Spring and a panoramic view from the top of the Ridge Trail overlooking the Little and Big Cottonwood ski areas.
Big Flat is short, but it’s the closest notable 4-wheel-low test from Park City, putting your Jeep skills to work on a short but challenging ride through the forest to the upper bowls — a veritable 4×4 tutorial.
My ride for the night was our 2002 Jeep Wrangler, affectionately known as the Orange Jeep. While I tend to gravitate to our 2011 Jeep Rubicon, I really do love the older Jeep — a better setup, with a little more clearance and easier shifting.
If you enter Snake Creek Canyon from the north (past the Wasatch Mountain State Park Golf Course), you climb quickly up the canyon. Big Flat is a turnout to the right. If you look at a map in advance, you’ll see the trail has two options. We prefer to take the southerly route going up Big Flat, then head back on the northerly spur, dropping down one of the two challenging steep chutes as a finale.
The trail up Big Flat is a little steep in sections. But the real challenge is tire placement on the rugged terrain. From the turnout to the top is less than two miles. But you need to be on your A game most of the way!
Big Flat is on the south end of the Snake Creek Mining District. There are remnants of a few mines to the north, including the Heber Lion and West Park mines, which produced copper and other minerals over a century ago.
After emerging from the trees, the trail empties out into a large cirque, leveling out at the base a few hundred feet below the ridgeline. It’s an easy hike up to the top, where you can connect to the Ridge Trail. Head north to Sunset Pass between Alta and Brighton, or head south to Pole Line Pass.
Coming back down at dusk, I passed through brilliant fields of sunflowers. I knew that ahead of me was the big drop. The sun was already well over the mountains to the west when I reached the top of the final obstacle. Getting out of the Jeep, I surveyed my options. It wasn’t as steep as it looked from the bottom. But both sides had irregular terrain. I chose the right side option, which was a straight shot save for a large rock midway down with horrible placement.
I crept down in 4-wheel-low, touching the brake from time to time. I put the left front on the rock — perfect for the front end. But it pushed the rear a bit to the left forcing me to creep up on yet another boulder with the left rear.
With a final thunk, I was down. Whew!
With a new wave of fire smoke in the sky, I had hoped for a wonderful sunset on the ridge. Alas, it was not to be — just a windy, hazy evening. Darkness settled in as I made my way back down Snake Creek Canyon Road toward Midway. Pulling into the view area at the last big switchback, I was in for a treat. The brilliant bright light of the rising moon, combined with the particulates in the area, offered me a brilliant orange full moon to guide me the rest of the way down.
DETAILS
Getting There: Head over to the Wasatch Mountain State Park Golf Course and head up Snake Creek Canyon Road.
Fees: If you use the state park trailhead on Snake Creek Road, you will need a day pass or season pass. The described Jeep route is on U.S. Forest Service land and no pass is required.
Equipment: This Jeep trail is short and sweet, but does require 4WD and a knowledgeable driver, along with some reasonable clearance and good off road tires.